Most Popular
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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[Grace Kao] Hybe vs. Ador: Inspiration, imitation and plagiarism
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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[Newsmaker] Should politicians care about your hair loss?
Last week, the talk of the town was Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung’s pledge to have hair loss treatments covered by public health care insurance, prompting both cheers from supporters and criticism of populism. What stood out in particular was the enthusiastic response from young voters, despite hair loss known to be more prevalent among the older generation. In fact, the pledge itself was suggested by the Lee election team’s youth committee, off a p
Social AffairsJan. 11, 2022
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[Newsmaker] Kakao CEO nominee resigns over stock selling
Amid mounting criticism over Kakao executives forging a block deal to sell massive stakes they received as stock options, the IT giant’s next CEO stepped down voluntarily on Monday, leaving the company‘s management ethics in question. Ryu Young-joon, the appointee for Kakao’s next CEO, expressed his will to resign amid escalating criticism over the mass sale of his Kakao Pay shares, the IT giant said Monday. Kakao Pay is a payment platform which made a market debut in November
IndustryJan. 10, 2022
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[Newsmaker] UN Security Council expected to meet Monday on NK’s missile launch
The UN Security Council is expected to meet behind closed doors on Monday to discuss North Korea’s missile launch, but a joint statement after the session appears to be less likely. Diplomatic sources say the US, France and the UK -– three of the five permanent members on the council –- as well as Ireland and Albania, requested an emergency meeting to be held on Monday in the US to discuss the launch of what Pyongyang claims to be a hypersonic missile. “We ca
North KoreaJan. 9, 2022
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[Newsmaker] Woori Bank pulls back Osstem funds amid theft probe
Woori Bank, one of five major local banks, said Friday it had stopped selling funds involving Osstem Implant, whose shares were suspended from trading on the Kosdaq after an employee was arrested for having allegedly stolen funds equal to 91 percent of the company’s equity as of last year. “It’s a precautionary measure to protect our investors and we do not know at this point when we will begin selling the funds again,” a Woori Bank official said, adding five funds
EconomyJan. 7, 2022
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[Newsmaker] Controversial Harvard professor claims no contemporary evidence on ‘comfort women’
A Harvard professor whose earlier claim that victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery were voluntary prostitutes stirred great fury is expected to draw further criticism with his renewed assertion that denies contemporary evidence to back the existence of the euphemistically labeled “comfort women.” The South Korean government, as well as experts here, rebuffed his argument, saying Japan’s sexual enslavement is a historical fact that has already been “proven unive
Foreign AffairsJan. 6, 2022
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[Newsmaker] N. Korean man redefected unnoticed although military cameras spotted him 5 times
South Korea’s military said Wednesday that it failed to stop a North Korean defector even though he was caught on surveillance cameras five times. The Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday disclosed the results of its on-site investigation into how the 30-something North Korean man returned to the North Saturday night. The military currently believes that the defector is the same person who defected to the South in November 2020. The military first spotted him approaching the border reg
DefenseJan. 5, 2022
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[Newsmaker] Prosecutors close case on late Seoul Mayor Park’s alleged sexual harassment
Prosecutors have decided not to indict the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who was accused of sexually harassing his secretary, according to local reports Tuesday. The decision was reached by prosecutors at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday. Prosecutors closed the case as they no longer have the right of arraignment to file an indictment against the deceased Park. As prosecutors have closed the case, the connection of his death with the accusation will not b
Social AffairsJan. 4, 2022
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[Newsmaker] Seoul says NK defector presumed as border crosser received due settlement support
The North Korean defector who is presumed to have crossed the tense inter-Korean border to return home last week had received due resettlement support from the South Korean government, Seoul's unification ministry said Tuesday, amid reports he suffered economic difficulties after his defection. The man crossed the heavily fortified eastern border into the North over the weekend, about a year after he reached the South, also using an eastern front-line route in November 2020, according to the mi
North KoreaJan. 4, 2022
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[Newsmaker] Daily COVID-19 cases remain below 4,000 for second day
South Korea’s new coronavirus cases remained below 4,000 for the second straight day as of midnight Sunday, but the number of critically ill patients continued to surpass 1,000. Two deaths in connection with the omicron variant of the coronavirus were reported on Monday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, South Korea added 3,129 new COVID-19 cases during Sunday, raising the total to 642,207. It was down from that of the previous day, which recorded 3,833 cases
Social AffairsJan. 3, 2022
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[Newsmaker] May 2022 be year of healing, really
A concerted effort to heal the scars of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has widened social, political and economic divisions during its two-year reign, was one of the top wishes from ordinary people in Korea for the New Year. As much as the COVID-19 crisis has isolated people and affected their daily routines, it also has shed light on the importance of interpersonal ties and solidarity. The Korea Herald interviewed 10 people -- COVID-19 frontline nurses, a Seoul-based TikToker and influencer,
Social AffairsJan. 2, 2022
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[Newsmaker] Mother of infant found inside roadside donation box faces infanticide charges
The mother of an infant found dead inside a clothing donation bin in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, earlier this month could face infanticide charges, the police said on Friday. According to the Osan police, investigators have sent the case to the prosecution on Thursday. The woman is accused of neglect leading to the death of the just-born boy in the bathroom of her house, where she had given birth. She is charged with discarding the baby’s body in a roadside clo
Social AffairsDec. 31, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Ex-President Park to remain in hospital after midnight release
Former President Park Geun-hye was to be released at Thursday midnight, when the presidential pardon takes effect, after spending four years and nine months in prison for several corruption convictions. According to the Ministry of Justice, the amnesty of Park was to take effect at midnight. Park was to be released from her room at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, where she has been receiving treatment for several weeks. Park’s deteriorating health was an important consideration for the
PoliticsDec. 30, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Lookist evaluation of Yoon’s spouse raises eyebrows
Left-leaning figures have come under fire for making comments about Kim Keon-hee’s appearance, with some calling the remarks “misogynous.” The latest comments on Kim, the wife of People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, came after she publicly apologized for embellishing her career history. On Wednesday, former lawmaker Sohn Hye-won once again took to social media to comment on Kim’s makeup and facial expressions when she delivered the apology. Sohn
PoliticsDec. 29, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Opposition campaign chief tightens grip to end internal conflict
People Power Party election committee chief Kim Chong-in stepped in Tuesday to calm the conflict between the party’s presidential candidate and its chairman. Discord in the conservative main opposition party has continued since it chose Yoon Suk-yeol, a former prosecutor general, as its flagbearer in November. Acknowledging internal disputes made public by remarks of the party members, Kim said in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper that he will step up to “control the
PoliticsDec. 28, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Moon calls for Samsung, Hyundai to collaborate on auto chips
South Korean President Moon Jae-in asked Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Euisun to “collaborate more closely” on automotive chips during a luncheon at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday. According to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-me, President Moon congratulated the Hyundai Motor chief for the automaker’s advancement in the European electric vehicle market and said, “I wish for Samsung and Hyundai to collaborate more closely
IndustryDec. 27, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Yoon’s wife apologizes in public over false career allegation
People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol’s spouse Kim Keon-hee apologized in public Sunday for causing controversy with the allegations that she had made false claims about her career history. “There were my faults in the process of working and studying together,” Kim said with her head bowed as she read out a statement at a press conference in Seoul. “I inflated my career to look good and wrote it (resumes) wrong. I shouldn’t have done that, but lo
PoliticsDec. 26, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Parties offer mixed reactions on Park's pardon
A special pardon for Park Geun-hye, the former president serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, has sparked a wide range of responses in South Korea’s political circles. The ruling Democratic Party appeared largely to respect the president’s decision, while lawmakers from the opposition parties voiced different opinions, mostly raising doubts about the special pardon. Democratic Party Chairman Song Young-gil announced that the party “honors” the president&rsquo
PoliticsDec. 24, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Yoon’s visit to DMZ draws accusations of armistice violations
South Korean presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol’s visit to a front-line division in the Demilitarized Zone has come under fire, with the United Nations Command officially kicking off an investigation into an alleged violation of the Armistice Agreement. The UNC made an announcement after Yoon -- dressed in a military uniform -- on Monday visited the observation post of the South Korean Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, also known as the Baekgol Unit, in the DMZ. In what appears to b
PoliticsDec. 23, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Is vaccine pass constitutional? Korea is about to find out
South Korea’s Consitutional Court is set to review whether the COVID-19 pass is constitutional. The Constitutional Court said Tuesday evening its full bench of nine justices would review the constitutionality of the pass’s enactment. The court’s full bench is usually summoned when a case is deemed to hold legitimacy. The COVID-19 pass, or vaccine pass, was implemented nationwide on Dec. 13 and requires people to present digitized proof of full vaccination or a negative
Social AffairsDec. 22, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Yoon's feminist recruit under attack from all corners
Shin ji-ye, a 31-year-old feminist with liberal political inclinations, made headlines Monday as she crossed party lines and joined the campaign of Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential nominee of the conservative People Power Party. The young politician ran as a Seoul mayor candidate for Green Party Korea in 2018, finishing fourth in the race with over 80,000 votes. Her campaign gained support from feminists and progressives as one of the first candidates in the country’s political history to
PoliticsDec. 21, 2021